Iu-21 Teachers Reject 2nd Proposed Settlement

Teachers for the Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit last night rejected for a second time a contract settlement proposed by a state-appointed fact-finder.

The rejection forces teachers and IU officials back to the bargaining table to resume negotiations that have been going on for the past year. The teachers contract expired in June.

"There are a few issues with which we're not satisfied," said Marie Ann Ben, president of the IU-21 Carbon Lehigh Education Association.

Ben would not identify the issues the teachers refused to accept. She also refused to disclose the number of association members who attended last night's meeting or the final vote by the union.

James McMullen, who was appointed by the state Labor Relations Board in December to help settle the contract dispute, recommended an average 5.9 percent annual wage increase over the length of the proposed three-year contract.

McMullen did not apply the 5.9 percent increase across the board. He adjusted the salary schedule, but did not reduce the number of steps, as the union had requested in its negotiations with IU officials.

The fact-finder also recommended a $5 deductible in prescription drug insurance and extended coverage of dependents to the age of 25. The IU had pushed for an increase in the deductible -- from $2 to $7. The association had, in negotiations with the IU, requested increasing coverage to dependents.

Among the other items contained in the fact-finder's report were changes in medical benefits,increasing the major medical maximum to $1,000,000, increasing the coverage of dependents to the age of 25 and requiring a $15 employee co-pay of an increase in medical insurance premiums.

Ben said the association would press school officials for a meeting within the next week in hopes of settling some of the union's concerns.

"We're seeking a meeting with the board within the next week," Ben said "We want to meet directly with the board to discuss the issues."

Under state law, both sides of a contract dispute are required to hold a vote and accept or reject the findings of the fact-finder. If one side rejects the report, which represents a proposed settlement, then the report is released to the public.

The association, which rejected the fact-finder's in its first vote last week, is required by law to reconsider and hold the vote a second time within 10 days.

The board of directors for the IU overwhelmingly accepted the fact-finder's report last Monday.

"It surprised me -- in a pleasant way -- that the board nearly passed it unanimously," Jerry Stout, executive director for the IU said after the vote.

The union's second vote disappointed Stout, but he said last night that it was not totally unexpected.

"I had hoped to get this settled," Stout said. "I guess it wasn't completely unexpected. I haven't gotten much feedback though, so I don't know what they want."

Ben said last night that a teachers strike was an option permitted under Act 88, the state law governing teacher contract negotiations.

"It's one of the options open to us," she said. "I'm not saying we're going to use it."